Thursday, August 25, 2016

With Friends Like These...

Unfortunately, this isn't anything new. The Iranians have been a thorn in the US Navy's side since the Iran-Iraq War. They've upped their saber-rattling over the past ten years or so, mainly in the waters of the SOH, but in the Gulf as well. And we've had to adjust tactics- new pre-planned responses, manning gun mounts during the transit, and bringing online automated 25mm guns and the Blk-1B Close-in-Weapons System: (CIWS) with optical and infra-red sights.

And yes, in case that ship name sounds familiar, it's that Nitze, which you've heard about here before. Sarge's Son - The Naviguessor - served aboard Nitze as his last ship in the Navy, as a matter of fact, he's a plankowner.

USS NITZE

Turns out that was the first of three such incidents in the last two days.

"Just one day after video emerged of Iranian ships swarming and harassing the USS Nitze, Business Insider has confirmed a separate incident on Wednesday involving the USS Squall, a coastal-patrol ship, in the northern Arabian Gulf."

"Ultimately, Squall resorted to firing three warning shots from their 50-caliber gun, which caused the Iranian vessel to turn away."

I'm not sure why they are being such arse-holes seeing how we just gave them back $400M and signed a very fair (to both sides) Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement in last year or so. Part of the legacy of Secretaries Clinton and Kerry!

Fortunately, nobody is getting complacent, but they are probing us. I'm sure that having one of our ships actually fire on them tends to get the rest of the Fifth Fleet fired up! The Squall CO is probably walking funny today, because of the big brass ones.

You don't want to be rude!Blasting them out of the water (or air, for that matter) and telling them to f""k off, has been unpopular since 1965. With my known exception of Col. Olds. I am sure there are many more military guys who have operated in the same ballsy (can I say that?) way, I just don't know about the new "peacekeepers".

Hell, elect ME and I'll not only order those Iranian gunboats sunk, but I'll have them raised again just so our Air Force can fly over Tehran and drop their shattered hulls squarely on the royal palace.

And not only that, I'll make them pay for it. Wonder what a producing oil platform or two would sell for?

Better yet--I'd have my SEALs capture the Iranian off-shore platforms and GIFT THEM to Israel.

Radar and laser and infrared, oh my. We had a grease pencil for laying down sterno and a depressible reticle. I think the reticle was depressed, too, like most of us who couldn't get the job done without accommodating McNamara's ROE.